Week in Review

During the Arab Spring President Obama told Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak that he had to go. A man who was the anchor of peace in the Middle East. Since then the Middle East has grown less safe. And closer to Iran. Which hates Israel, the United States and Western Civilization.

The most organized political opposition in Egypt at the time of the Arab Spring was the Muslim Brotherhood. An organization that Mubarak had outlawed in Egypt. As they tended to agree more with Iran than they did with the Mubarak regime. When they stepped in to fill the political vacuum left by Mubarak President Obama and his fellow Democrats were quick to recognize the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Even gave them military aid. Despite their being a terrorist organization (see Saudi Arabia lists Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah as terror groups posted 3/7/2014 on UPI).

Saudi Arabia added the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah and two Syrian-based groups to its list of terrorist organizations Friday, officials said…

Abdel Latif al-Sheikh, head of the Saudi religious police, described the Brotherhood, Hezbollah, ISIS and al-Nusra Front as groups “ruled from outside to serve political purposes.”

“They are groups that fight moderate Muslims and are causing troubles around the world. This is what we consider against Islamic principles and has given a negative impression about Muslims in the West,” Sheikh said.

Here’s something you don’t hear often. Or ever. A Muslim nation speaking out against Islamist extremism. But Saudi Arabia prefers peace. Which is why they liked Hosni Mubarak. And were very unhappy seeing him go. Especially with the Muslim Brotherhood replacing the Mubarak regime. Mubarak kept the peace. The Saudis liked that. Even though they don’t much care for Israel. But they would take a peaceful world with Israel in it any day over a world without Israel if it meant having no peace.

Israel is not the source of all the unrest in the Middle East. There is a huge divide in Islam that has killed more than any war or occupation involving Israel has killed. Sunni versus Shia. Saudi Arabia is Sunni. Egypt, too. While Iran is Shia. Saudi Arabia prefers peace. Iran prefers revolution. Which is why Hosni Mubarak was good for Egypt. Saudi Arabia. Israel. The Middle East. And world peace. The Saudis understood this. Which is why they call the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. While the Obama administration does not. Which is why they gave military aid to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Politics 101

The government shutdown is over. And we avoided defaulting on the national debt Or so they say. So who won and who lost? Well, at this point in time it looks like the Democrats lost less than the Republicans. But it is the American people who lost. For they are stuck with Obamacare for the time being. And President Obama can raise the national debt to a new record high. But it gets worse. This morning the president gave a petulant, God-awful speech scolding the Republicans, the Tea Party, talk radio, the blogosphere and pretty much anyone else who dares to oppose Obamaism (see Transcript of Obama Remarks on End of Standoff posted 10/17/2013 on The Wall Street Journal).

Good morning, everybody. Please have a seat.

Well, last night, I signed legislation to reopen our government and pay America’s bills. Because Democrats and responsible Republicans came together, the first government shutdown in 17 years is now over. The first default in more than 200 years will not happen. These twin threats to our economy have now been lifted. And I want to thank those Democrats and Republicans for getting together and ultimately getting this job done.

There was never a risk of default. With $2.45 trillion in annual revenue coming into the treasury from the taxpayers there was never a risk of the $415.7 billion annual interest payment on the debt going unpaid. Lying about it just helped a petulant child get his way. Waaa.

Now, there’s been a lot of discussion lately of the politics of this shutdown. But let’s be clear: There are no winners here. These last few weeks have inflicted completely unnecessary damage on our economy. We don’t know yet the full scope of the damage, but every analyst out there believes it slowed our growth.

What growth? Since coming to office the president’s policies have lost approximately 9,966,000 jobs through the September jobs report. That’s just shy of 10 million jobs he’s lost. So what recovery? Or is he just setting the stage to blame the worst economic recovery since that following the Great Depression on this 16 day shutdown? And not the lost economic activity from those 10 million or so lost jobs? Of course he is. Because what are 10 million jobs when he can stick it to the Republicans?

We know that families have gone without paychecks or services they depend on. We know that potential homebuyers have gotten fewer mortgages, and small business loans have been put on hold. We know that consumers have cut back on spending, and that half of all CEOs say that the shutdown and the threat of shutdown set back their plans to hire over the next six months. We know that just the threat of default — of America not paying all the bills that we owe on time — increased our borrowing costs, which adds to our deficit.

Yes, pity the government bureaucrats who had to go 16 days without reporting to work. Even though they will be paid for those 16 days they missed. Yes, pity the government bureaucrats. And not the 10 million who have disappeared from the labor force since President Obama assumed office. I mean, what are 5 years without a paycheck compared to missing 16 days of work? Which the taxpayers will still pay them for?

Businesses cut back on spending and hiring because of the great uncertainty of a 16-day shutdown? Are you sure it wasn’t the regulatory requirements of Obamacare that is forcing employers with close to 30 ‘full time’ employees (30 hours or more per week) to not hire any more workers? Even pushing full-time workers to part time? Are you sure this isn’t the reason why they’re not hiring? Especially with the cost of health insurance going through the roof now that it must cover everything under the sun (such as pediatric care for a couple whose children are now grown adults) as well as pre-existing conditions? Where someone can walk in off the street who was just diagnosed with cancer and buy an insurance policy for the first time in their life? Are you absolutely sure it’s the 16-day shutdown and not Obamacare? If so someone needs to attend a high school economics class to learn the first thing about economics.

And, of course, we know that the American people’s frustration with what goes on in this town has never been higher. That’s not a surprise that the American people are completely fed up with Washington. At a moment when our economic recovery demands more jobs, more momentum, we’ve got yet another self-inflicted crisis that set our economy back. And for what?

Again, are you sure it was the 16-day shutdown and not the 4 years or so of Obamacare?

There was no economic rationale for all of this. Over the past four years, our economy has been growing, our businesses have been creating jobs, and our deficits have been cut in half. We hear some members who pushed for the shutdown say they were doing it to save the American economy — but nothing has done more to undermine our economy these past three years than the kind of tactics that create these manufactured crises.

The last fiscal year ending deficit while George W. Bush was president was $498.37 billion (adjusted for inflation). At the end of the first fiscal year with President Obama in office the deficit soared to $1.539.22 trillion. An increase of 208.9%. It is this deficit number that he cut in half. The one he exploded with his near trillion dollar stimulus that did not stimulate anything but unions and the president’s cronies on Wall Street and in Big Business. Especially Big Green Business.

And the president had something else preventing him from spending as much as he did during his first term. Sequestration. Which the Democrats hate with a passion and want to get rid of. So they can turn on the spending spigot once again. Like they did during his first term.

And you don’t have to take my word for it. The agency that put America’s credit rating on watch the other day explicitly cited all of this, saying that our economy “remains more dynamic and resilient” than other advanced economies, and that the only thing putting us at risk is — and I’m quoting here — “repeated brinksmanship.” That’s what the credit rating agency said. That wasn’t a political statement; that was an analysis of what’s hurting our economy by people whose job it is to analyze these things.

Really? Brinkmanship? You don’t think adding $6.2 trillion to the national debt during your presidency had anything to do with the credit rating agency’s concern about our debt paying ability? A high school economics student can understand that the greater your debt is the greater your debt-paying problem. Funny how you don’t, Mr. President.

That also happens to be the view of our diplomats who’ve been hearing from their counterparts internationally. Some of the same folks who pushed for the shutdown and threatened default claim their actions were needed to get America back on the right track, to make sure we’re strong. But probably nothing has done more damage to America’s credibility in the world, our standing with other countries, than the spectacle that we’ve seen these past several weeks. It’s encouraged our enemies. It’s emboldened our competitors. And it’s depressed our friends who look to us for steady leadership.

I thought it would have been your bad foreign policy that did all those things. Starting with the Green Revolution in Iran. An uprising of the people against the Islamist and oppressive government of Iran. The precursor to the Arab Spring. Where you did nothing. Leaving the good Iranian people with that oppressive Islamist government. Which is currently working to produce a nuclear bomb. Then there was the Arab Spring and you telling our friend and ally and anchor to peace and stability in the Middle East, Hosni Mubarak, that he had to go. Turning Egypt over to the anti-Western Muslim Brotherhood. And then there was Libya. Another ally in the War on Terror, Muammar Gaddafi (who joined the fight against terrorism after our invasion of Iraq), that he had to go. Turning Libya over to radical Islamists. Who killed four Americans in Benghazi. Then there was the red line fiasco with Syria. If you cross that red line I will hem and haw and stammer. Then I might say something else. Then Vladimir Putin steps in and saves the day for their Syrian ally. Russia. Who suspended all adoptions to Americans to spite America. Who are also helping the Iranians with their nuclear program. All the while laughing at President Obama who they see as weak. Who couldn’t get one nation to join him for military strikes against Syria. If you want to talk about our prestige on the world stage you gave that up long ago. For today no one fears the wrath of the United States these days. With some nations seeing the United States becoming irrelevant in the world. Especially Russia and China. As well as radical Islam.

Now, the good news is we’ll bounce back from this. We always do. America is the bedrock of the global economy for a reason. We are the indispensable nation that the rest of the world looks to as the safest and most reliable place to invest — something that’s made it easier for generations of Americans to invest in their own futures. We have earned that responsibility over more than two centuries because of the dynamism of our economy and our entrepreneurs, the productivity of our workers, but also because we keep our word and we meet our obligations. That’s what full faith and credit means — you can count on us.

And today, I want our people and our businesses and the rest of the world to know that the full faith and credit of the United States remains unquestioned.

There is a difference between economic investment and buying our bonds. Any money that buys government bonds is money pulled out of the economy. Investing in government bonds doesn’t create economic activity. It actually destroys economic activity. And the only worry the rest of the world had was what you were going to do, Mr. President. Would you not pay the interest on the national debt out of spite to attack the Republicans? That’s what they were worried about. For even they knew we had the money to pay our debt without new borrowing. They just don’t trust you.

But to all my friends in Congress, understand that how business is done in this town has to change. Because we’ve all got a lot of work to do on behalf of the American people — and that includes the hard work of regaining their trust. Our system of self-government doesn’t function without it. And now that the government is reopened, and this threat to our economy is removed, all of us need to stop focusing on the lobbyists and the bloggers and the talking heads on radio and the professional activists who profit from conflict, and focus on what the majority of Americans sent us here to do, and that’s grow this economy; create good jobs; strengthen the middle class; educate our kids; lay the foundation for broad-based prosperity and get our fiscal house in order for the long haul. That’s why we’re here. That should be our focus.

Strong words coming from a professional activist. For he was a community organizer. And taught activism. Funny how there are two types of activism. The good kind in his world. When it advances a liberal agenda. And the bad kind in his world. The kind based in conservatism. The president hates conservative activism, otherwise known as a government of the people, by the people and for the people, and believes it should be silenced and replaced with one-party rule.

Now, that won’t be easy. We all know that we have divided government right now. There’s a lot of noise out there, and the pressure from the extremes affect how a lot of members of Congress see the day-to-day work that’s supposed to be done here. And let’s face it, the American people don’t see every issue the same way. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make progress. And when we disagree, we don’t have to suggest that the other side doesn’t love this country or believe in free enterprise, or all the other rhetoric that seems to get worse every single year. If we disagree on something, we can move on and focus on the things we agree on, and get some stuff done.

And the Democrats calling the political opposition terrorists, arsonists, hostage takers, the Taliban, etc., how is that coming together to focus on the things we agree on? To get some stuff done? Well, Mr. President, it is obvious you believe compromise is the Republicans caving and becoming your bitch. This is not a government of the people, by the people and for the people. This is a government of, by and for you.

Let me be specific about three places where I believe we can make progress right now. First, in the coming days and weeks, we should sit down and pursue a balanced approach to a responsible budget, a budget that grows our economy faster and shrinks our long-term deficits further.

At the beginning of this year, that’s what both Democrats and Republicans committed to doing. The Senate passed a budget; House passed a budget; they were supposed to come together and negotiate. And had one side not decided to pursue a strategy of brinksmanship, each side could have gotten together and figured out, how do we shape a budget that provides certainty to businesses and people who rely on government, provides certainty to investors in our economy, and we’d be growing faster right now.

The last time we did this little dance it was the same. You want to raise taxes and cut no spending. That’s your idea of a balanced approach. Oh, you’ll promise spending cuts after we raise some taxes. But those spending cuts will never come. Democrats just don’t cut spending. Unless they get themselves stuck in a sequester. And that’s not even real spending cuts. It’s only smaller increases in future spending.

Now, the good news is the legislation I signed yesterday now requires Congress to do exactly that — what it could have been doing all along.

And we shouldn’t approach this process of creating a budget as an ideological exercise — just cutting for the sake of cutting. The issue is not growth versus fiscal responsibility — we need both. We need a budget that deals with the issues that most Americans are focused on: creating more good jobs that pay better wages.

Can the nation afford anymore of your job creation? After losing some 10 million jobs we should just cut our losses. And refuse anymore of your ‘help’ with the economy.

Cutting for the sake of cutting? What, we don’t have a debt crisis that requires our debt ceiling to be raised again and again? We’re spending too much. Hence the need to keep raising our debt ceiling. And Obamacare only makes this worse. A lot worse. Hence that 16-day government shutdown. Or did he miss that?

And remember, the deficit is getting smaller, not bigger. It’s going down faster than it has in the last 50 years. The challenges we have right now are not short-term deficits; it’s the long-term obligations that we have around things like Medicare and Social Security. We want to make sure those are there for future generations.

Oh, you are devious, Mr. President. The deficit is going down faster than in the last 50 years only because you raised it to record highs in your first year in office. Your smallest deficit is still larger than George W. Bush’s last deficit.

Medicare? You cut Medicare spending so you can spend that money on Obamacare. And Social Security? The Social Security Trust Fund has no cash in it. It’s stuffed with government IOUs. Because the government is spending so much money that they have to raid the Social Security Trust Fund to pay for it. And even that’s not enough to prevent deficit spending. So they’re robbing Peter to pay Paul. This out of control spending is why Medicare and Social Security may not be there for future generations.

So the key now is a budget that cuts out the things that we don’t need, closes corporate tax loopholes that don’t help create jobs, and frees up resources for the things that do help us grow — like education and infrastructure and research. And these things historically have not been partisan. And this shouldn’t be as difficult as it’s been in past years because we already spend less than we did a few years ago. Our deficits are half of what they were a few years ago. The debt problems we have now are long term, and we can address them without shortchanging our kids, or shortchanging our grandkids, or weakening the security that current generations have earned from their hard work.

More on education? That’s to shore up the teachers’ underfunded pensions. Infrastructure? That’s just pork-barrel spending. Building airports where no one wants to fly. Or high-speed rail that requires constant government subsidies. Money that buys votes in Congress to pass huge spending bills. Like Obamacare. Which passed only by buying off Democrats with the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, the Florida Flim Flam, etc.

So that’s number one. Number two, we should finish fixing the job of — let me say that again. Number two, we should finish the job of fixing our broken immigration system.

There’s already a broad coalition across America that’s behind this effort of comprehensive immigration reform — from business leaders to faith leaders to law enforcement. In fact, the Senate has already passed a bill with strong bipartisan support that would make the biggest commitment to border security in our history; would modernize our legal immigration system; make sure everyone plays by the same rules, makes sure that folks who came here illegally have to pay a fine, pay back taxes, meet their responsibilities. That bill has already passed the Senate. And economists estimate that if that bill becomes law, our economy would be 5 percent larger two decades from now. That’s $1.4 trillion in new economic growth.

There’s a reason why people hire illegal aliens. So they can pay them less than legal citizens. So once these illegals become legal they’re not going to work for illegal wages anymore. So it will raise labor costs. Forcing businesses to lay off some workers. Creating no net economic benefit. But the Democrats don’t care. Because it’s not about the economy. It’s about all those new Democrat voters. To turn the nation, like they turned California, Democrat.

The majority of Americans think this is the right thing to do. And it’s sitting there waiting for the House to pass it. Now, if the House has ideas on how to improve the Senate bill, let’s hear them. Let’s start the negotiations. But let’s not leave this problem to keep festering for another year, or two years, or three years. This can and should get done by the end of this year.

Really? A majority of people want immigration reform? And because of that we should pass it? Well, the majority of people want to repeal Obamacare. So perhaps this is a negotiation the Republicans and Democrats can agree on. To please the majority of people. Exchange immigration reform for the repealing of Obamacare.

Number three, we should pass a farm bill, one that American farmers and ranchers can depend on; one that protects vulnerable children and adults in times of need; one that gives rural communities opportunities to grow and the long-term certainty that they deserve.

You know, it was a farm bill that helped precipitate the Great Depression. Price parity. Increasing the price of farm goods so they were closer to the price of nonfarm goods. In response to their increased productivity due to the mechanization of the farm that produced bumper crops. Increasing supply beyond demand. Causing the price of farm goods to fall. So Hoover passed legislation raising the price of food. Making it harder to put food on the table for the average American. An example of the unintended consequences of government intervention. Such as requiring gasoline to include a portion of the corn crop. Thus raising the price of corn. And everything in the food chain downstream from corn. Like beef, chicken, milk, eggs, etc. No, the last thing consumers need who are trying to put food on the table is another farm bill.

Again, the Senate has already passed a solid bipartisan bill. It’s got support from Democrats and Republicans. It’s sitting in the House waiting for passage. If House Republicans have ideas that they think would improve the farm bill, let’s see them. Let’s negotiate. What are we waiting for? Let’s get this done.

So, passing a budget; immigration reform; farm bill. Those are three specific things that would make a huge difference in our economy right now. And we could get them done by the end of the year if our focus is on what’s good for the American people. And that’s just the big stuff. There are all kinds of other things that we could be doing that don’t get as much attention.

I understand we will not suddenly agree on everything now that the cloud of crisis has passed. Democrats and Republicans are far apart on a lot of issues. And I recognize there are folks on the other side who think that my policies are misguided — that’s putting it mildly. That’s okay. That’s democracy. That’s how it works. We can debate those differences vigorously, passionately, in good faith, through the normal democratic process.

And sometimes, we’ll be just too far apart to forge an agreement. But that should not hold back our efforts in areas where we do agree. We shouldn’t fail to act on areas that we do agree or could agree just because we don’t think it’s good politics; just because the extremes in our party don’t like the word “compromise.”

When the Republicans wanted to add tax breaks for small business in the stimulus bill President Obama refused to listen. Because he won the election. And elections have consequences, he said. And to the winner goes the spoils. When the Democrats had the House, Senate and the White House they had no interest in compromise. And didn’t. But when they don’t have all the power they expect the other side to compromise. And give them what they want. That’s their idea of compromise. Unconditional surrender.

I will look for willing partners wherever I can to get important work done. And there’s no good reason why we can’t govern responsibly, despite our differences, without lurching from manufactured crisis to manufactured crisis. In fact, one of the things that I hope all of us have learned these past few weeks is that it turns out smart, effective government is important. It matters. I think the American people during this shutdown had a chance to get some idea of all the things, large and small, that government does that make a difference in people’s lives.

We hear all the time about how government is the problem. Well, it turns out we rely on it in a whole lot of ways. Not only does it keep us strong through our military and our law enforcement, it plays a vital role in caring for our seniors and our veterans, educating our kids, making sure our workers are trained for the jobs that are being created, arming our businesses with the best science and technology so they can compete with companies from other countries. It plays a key role in keeping our food and our toys and our workplaces safe. It helps folks rebuild after a storm. It conserves our natural resources. It finances startups. It helps to sell our products overseas. It provides security to our diplomats abroad.

Really? You want to go there? Security of our diplomats? The administration that let 4 Americans die in Benghazi on its watch? Despite ample warnings? Warnings so serious that the British pulled out of Benghazi? Before our four diplomats were killed? But there was an election, wasn’t there? And we just couldn’t have trouble with terrorists during an election, could we? Not for the president that won the War on Terror with the killing of Osama bin Laden.

So let’s work together to make government work better, instead of treating it like an enemy or purposely making it work worse. That’s not what the founders of this nation envisioned when they gave us the gift of self-government. You don’t like a particular policy or a particular president, then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election. Push to change it. But don’t break it. Don’t break what our predecessors spent over two centuries building. That’s not being faithful to what this country is about.

The Founding Fathers created LIMITED government. What we have today is far from limited. The progressives/liberals have destroyed what the Founding Fathers gave us. Today we have a big, fat, bloated bureaucracy. And the Republicans would like to change it by winning elections. Which isn’t that easy when the Obama administration suppresses the vote by turning the IRS loose on the Tea Party. Limiting their fundraising ability. Causing their turnout to be less than it was in the 2010 midterm election. When the Tea Party stirred the people to vote the House of Representatives back to the Republicans. Which they weren’t going to let happen in 2012. Hence using the IRS to suppress the Republican vote.

And that brings me to one last point. I’ve got a simple message for all the dedicated and patriotic federal workers who’ve either worked without pay or been forced off the job without pay these past few weeks, including most of my own staff: Thank you. Thanks for your service. Welcome back. What you do is important. It matters.

You defend our country overseas. You deliver benefits to our troops who’ve earned them when they come home. You guard our borders. You protect our civil rights. You help businesses grow and gain footholds in overseas markets. You protect the air we breathe and the water our children drink. And you push the boundaries of science and space, and you guide hundreds of thousands of people each day through the glories of this country. Thank you. What you do is important. And don’t let anybody else tell you different. Especially the young people who come to this city to serve — believe that it matters. Well, you know what, you’re right. It does.

And those of us who have the privilege to serve this country have an obligation to do our job as best we can. We come from different parties, but we are Americans first. And that’s why disagreement cannot mean dysfunction. It can’t degenerate into hatred. The American people’s hopes and dreams are what matters, not ours. Our obligations are to them. Our regard for them compels us all, Democrats and Republicans, to cooperate, and compromise, and act in the best interests of our nation –- one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thanks very much.

The majority of people want to repeal Obamacare. But the president doesn’t care about these American people. Because they don’t share his vision of expanding government power in our lives. People who would prefer to keep the health insurance they have. And the doctors they have. As well as not paying more for their health insurance. But what they want isn’t as important to President Obama as what he wants. So there is no compromise. No cooperation. Or acting in the best interest of the United States. For this may be one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Where all Americans are equal. Only some are more equal than others. Like those who share President Obama’s vision.

Politics 101

The US supported Saddam Hussein because of the Iranian Revolution and the Iran Hostage Crisis

Remember Saddam Hussein? He was the dictator of Iraq that the US toppled from power. Because of intelligence reports that he had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). In particular chemical weapons. And the reason this intelligence was so believable is that Hussein had used chemical weapons. Against the Kurdish people in Halabja. In southern Kurdistan. An act of genocide. And the greatest chemical attack against a civilian population. As well as against the Iranians in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988).

One of the requirements of the armistice that ended the Gulf War (1990-1991) was for Hussein to destroy his chemical weapons stockpile. And document that. With UN inspectors. Which never happened. So technically a state of war still existed when George W. Bush launched the Iraq War (2003-2011). Giving all the legal authorization he needed. But he still went to the UN. And asked the US Congress for permission to invade. Which they gave. And the US-led coalition went through the Iraqi defenses like a hot knife through butter. But never found those WMDs. Which was pretty unbelievable. But there was something that was even more unbelievable. Saddam Hussein, the brutal dictator the US toppled from power, used to be a US ally.

How can this be, you ask? How could the US ally themselves with such a bad, bad man? Because of Iran. Iran used to be an ally of the US. Then came the Iranian Revolution in 1979. And the Iran hostage crisis (November 1979-January 1981). This marked the time Iran began calling America the great Satan. And began their war against the West. Especially against the US. Hostile rhetoric. Some state-sponsored terrorism. And leading the anti-American sentiment throughout the Muslim world. So when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran the US threw in with him. Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

The Muslim Brotherhood had a Problem with Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak keeping the Peace with Israel

Now is this just petty? Or good foreign policy? The whole enemy of my enemy is my friend thing? Well, it turns out that it is good foreign policy. For the goal of foreign policy is to make things better for your country. And in the case of Iran and Iraq the choice was clear. To make things better for the US you allied with Iraq. Because Iran was going full Islamist against the US. So by helping Iraq wage war against Iran the less time and resources Iran had to further anti-American sentiment throughout the Muslim world. And should Iraq win the war it would bring Iran’s oppressive theocracy to an end. Making life better for the average Iranian. Especially for Iranian women.

But the Iran-Iraq war ended in a stalemate. After 8 years of bitter fighting. But when the war was over nothing changed. The border was right where it was before the war. But it wasn’t all for nothing. With the stalemate Iraq kept its Shia minority population from catching the Iranian bug. Leaving the Sunni majority safely in the majority. Something a lot of the Arab strongmen had in common. Including Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser. Who had chosen to align Egypt with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. But when Nasser died and Anwar Sadat took over he switched sides in the Cold War. Aligning Egypt with the United States. Even signing a peace treaty with Israel. Something the Shia minority population did not like in the least.

The U.S. poured money into Egypt. And made the Egyptian military a force to be reckoned with. Making Egypt the most modern Arab state. The most powerful. And the most secular/Western. Women could go to college and wear Western clothes. Like they could in Iran before the Iranian Revolution. Something the Shia minority population did not like. Nor their growing political party. The Muslim Brotherhood. Who really had a problem with Anwar Sadat making peace with Israel. As did the Egyptian Islamic Jihad movement. Who assassinated Sadat (1981). As they wanted to replace the Egyptian government with an Islamic state. Just like the Muslim Brotherhood wanted to do. Which is why when Hosni Mubarak succeeded Sadat one of the things he did was to continue the ban on the Muslim Brotherhood. And oppressed and jailed its members.

The Nations interested in World Peace favor the Egyptian Military over the Muslim Brotherhood

During the height of the Roman Empire there was great world peace. The Pax Romana (27 BC to 180 AD). Made possible by Rome’s massive military might. During the height of the British Empire there was great world peace. The Pax Britannica (1815–1914). Made possible by Britain’s massive military might. And their unchallenged sea power. Which let them maintain a balance of power. For any powerful nation that threatened the peace with thoughts of attacking a weaker neighbor could not attack that neighbor without taking on the mighty British Empire. For to maintain the Pax Britannica the British would intervene on the behalf of the weaker power. Allowing weaker nations to live next to more powerful nations without threat of invasion.

This is what a powerful military can give you. Peace. If that military power is controlled by a nation interested in keeping the peace. Which is what the Egyptian military gave Hosni Mubarak. Under his presidency there was peace in the Middle East. The Suez Canal was open to world trade. Egyptian tourism thrived. Egypt was a modern and secular nation. Women and Christians lived with the greatest liberty and safety during the Mubarak presidency. Because Mubarak kept the peace. Sometimes with brutality. Especially when it came to the Muslim Brotherhood. Which is why there was peace in the Middle East. And women and Christians in Egypt enjoyed liberty and safety. Because the people who wanted to take all of that away were prevented from doing just that. But then came the Arab Spring. And President Obama told Hosni Mubarak that he had to go. Instead of working with him to implement reforms to ease the tensions in Egypt.

In Egypt there are basically two political forces. The military. Which kept peace with Israel. And in the Middle East. Then there’s the Muslim Brotherhood. Who wants to remove Israel from the map. And install a theocracy in Egypt like they have in Iran. When Mubarak faced open rebellion he did not turn the military onto his people. He stepped down from power. And the Muslim Brotherhood rushed in to fill the political vacuum. Assuring the world that they wouldn’t do pretty much everything they did. And one of the last things the democratically-elected Mohamed Morsi did was to give himself dictatorial powers. Just as bad if not worse than Mubarak exercised. Only without the peace, liberty and prosperity enjoyed under Mubarak. Democratically elected or not a Morsi presidency did not foster democracy. Or peace. Just as the Muslim Brotherhood does not foster democracy or peace. Which leaves the other political power in Egypt. The military. Which is why Western nations and those nations interested in world peace favor the military over the Muslim Brotherhood. While the enemies of the West (i.e., Iran) support the Brotherhood. Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Politics 101

The Muslim Brotherhood did not like Hosni Mubarak or Peace in the Middle East

President Mohammed Morsi is no longer president of Egypt. Thanks to a bloodless military coup. Why did the military do this? Is there some power-hungry general that wanted to become dictator? No. The army stepped in to prevent the country from degenerating into civil war. As the people were unhappy. And angry. Filling Tahrir Square. Protesting the rule of President Morsi. Just as they protested the rule of Hosni Mubarak. Back during the Arab Spring. When democracy was flowering all over the Arab world.

The people were unhappy with Hosni Mubarak because of soaring unemployment. And his oppressive police state. To name two things. The people wanted jobs. And liberty. So they demanded democracy. And got it. They had free elections. And the people chose their new leader. Mohammed Morsi. Who since becoming president did nothing to improve the employment picture. And seemed more interested in imposing Sharia law on the Egyptian people than liberty. In fact, he seemed more interested in restricting liberty. Especially for Coptic Christians. And women.

Mubarak’s police state did a lot to suppress the Muslim Brotherhood. President Morsi’s party. The Muslim Brotherhood also wanted to impose Sharia law on the Egyptian people. And did not like Hosni Mubarak for making peace with Israel. Being secular. Making it harder to smuggle arms into the Gaza Strip to their friend. The terrorist group Hamas. A militant Palestinian Islamic movement dedicated to the destruction of Israel. And member of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. So the Brotherhood was no friend of peace in the Middle East. Or secularism. Which is why Mubarak brutally suppressed the Muslim Brotherhood. But now the Brotherhood was in power. And they would have their revenge. As they put Egypt on the road to Sharia law.

Both the Nazis and the Muslim Brotherhood lied to Rise to Power

Hosni Mubarak was a friend to America. Israel. And Middle East peace. He had his faults. But he was so critical to peace and stability in the region the United States and their friends and allies should have tried to help Mubarak reform Egypt. Instead of throwing him under the bus. Like President Obama did. Who spent his political career bashing George W. Bush for trying to bring democracy to the Middle East. And here he was. President Obama. Trying to bring democracy to Egypt. Telling our friend and ally, Hosni Mubarak, he had to go. When the only opposition party in Egypt was the friend of Hamas and Iran. The Muslim Brotherhood.

The conservatives warned President Obama about letting the Muslim Brotherhood rise to power. That it was not in America’s best interests. Israel’s. Or the Middle East’s. And the Brotherhood knew the Americans and Israelis and the West in general were uncomfortable with them in power. So to appease everyone they said not to worry. They weren’t interested in rising to power. And they wouldn’t run for the presidency. They just wanted to help the nation they loved, Egypt, to be free. That’s all. But then one thing led to another. And the Muslim Brotherhood rose to power. With one of their own becoming president. Just like conservatives warned would happen. And the Brotherhood promised wouldn’t happen. So what happened?

The Muslim Brotherhood, of course, lied. That’s how you rise to power when you want to change the country against the will of the people. Adolf Hitler didn’t rise to power through a military coup. The Nazis won elections. They didn’t campaign on the truth. They didn’t tell the people that they were going to invade Poland, Norway, North Africa, the Low Countries, France, Greece, the Soviet Union, etc. That they were going to build death camps. Or use a brutal secret police (the Gestapo) to terrorize their own people. For these aren’t the kinds of things people vote for. So you lie to the people. And say you want to do other things. Not the things people warned would happen if the Nazis rose to power. Especially those who read Mein Kampf. Where Hitler himself told the world what he planned on doing. It was all there. All you had to do was read his book.

Candidates who Promise Everything typically want to Change the Country Against the Will of the People

Iranian students protested the Shah of Iran. Just like the Egyptians protested Hosni Mubarak. Men and women. Including a lot of college graduates who could not find any work with their new degrees. They blamed the Shah. Another friend and ally of the United States. They demanded jobs. And liberty. A democracy of the people. And that’s exactly what they got. Then they voted for an Islamic republic. And those people who protested to overthrow the Shah lost everything they wanted. Especially the women. Who had fewer liberties after the Iranian Revolution than they had under the Shah of Iran. During the elections the Islamists didn’t say they were going to do this. For people demanding liberty and jobs are not going to vote for someone promising to take away even more of their liberties. So they lied. Allowing them to rise to power. To change the country against the will of the people.

Removing the Muslim Brotherhood from power is good for the United States. For Israel. And for peace in the Middle East. Because with the Muslim Brotherhood in power Iran had a good friend in Egypt. To help expand their hegemony in the region. Shiite rule in a predominantly Sunni area. And what was once a more secular area. Before the Arab Spring. Some expressed concern about the military removing a democratically elected president. Of course they must express this publically. Especially when they’re trying to spread democracy. But there is a difference between good democracy and bad democracy. Bad democracy is the kind that is only transitory. A tool. A means to an end. When you want to change a country against the will of the people. And once you achieve the end you can dispose of that ridiculous thing called democracy. Like the Nazis did. Like the Iranians did. And like the Muslim Brotherhood was well along the way in doing.

This is something people need to learn. Not to trust those running for office. Especially those who promise everything the people want. You see, there is a reason why the people don’t have everything they want. It’s just not possible. It’s too costly. And you just can’t please everyone. So no matter how much you give the people there will still be some who want something else. Always. Which is good for people running for office. As they always have something to lie about. That is, to make a promise they can’t keep. Or simply have no intention of keeping. Because they want to change the country against the will of the people.

Fundamental Truth

The Mainstream Media sacrifice their Journalistic Integrity to help the Obama Administration Advance their Agenda

The president has warned that the $85 billion in spending cuts of the sequester will gut government programs leaving Americans at great peril. This despite baseline budgeting automatically increases spending every year. From 1974 (after Nixon decoupled the dollar from gold and the government adopted baseline budgeting) through 2008 (before the spending orgy of the Obama administration) federal spending increased approximately 7.5% each year. Crunching the numbers for the spending increase from 2012 to 2013 we get $284.7 billion. Applying the cuts of the sequester reduces this increase in spending to $199.7 billion. We will spend more in 2013 than we did in 2012. Even AFTER the sequester cuts. So all the peril the president is warning us about is not real. He’s lying for political gain.

Yet the mainstream media is discussing this issue as if there are real cuts in spending. That we will reduce spending in the numerous government programs the president warns about if we let the sequester happen. Less food inspection. Less airport security. Fewer police officers. Fewer firefighters. Fewer teachers. Fewer flu vaccinations. And less childcare. In their reports they discuss these as a matter of fact. When they are just not true. And it’s no secret. Anyone can do what we did and look at federal outlays and see the automatic spending increases each year. And see that we will still spend more in 2013 after the sequester cuts than we did in 2012. You’d think a journalist would study the facts. The historical record. And then question the president and his administration. Ask them why they are lying. But they don’t. Why?

Because they are partisan. Committed to the leftist agenda the president is trying to pass. So they either help spread the lie. Being complicit in the lie. Or they spread the lie because they are victims of the lie. They are so committed to the leftist agenda that they don’t question anything coming from the liberal left. Because they want to believe. They sacrifice their journalistic integrity to help the administration advance their agenda. More a propaganda arm of the administration than a free press. The kind of journalism they practice in Venezuela. Cuba. China. North Korea. And the kind of journalism they practiced in East Germany. The Soviet Union. And Nazi Germany. Where there was no free press. Only state propaganda. Propaganda in a totalitarian regime is one thing. They already oppress their people and their news is more for the benefit of outsiders. Where they lie about record harvests. And record gains in industrial production. Things their people have long stopped believing as they suffer through the misery of the reality. But it’s different in a free country. For it lends legitimacy for illegitimate actions of government. And allows them to overstep the restraints of their constitutional authority.

The Mainstream Media helped Downplay the Resurgent al Qaeda in Benghazi to help President Obama win Reelection

In 2010 the greatest cause of accidental deaths for children age 5-15 was motor vehicle accidents. In 2010 there were 806 deaths. Representing 49.1% of all deaths. The number two cause was drowning with 251 deaths. Or 15.3% of the total. Next came fire/burn at 135 deaths. Then death by suffocation at 79 deaths. Then death by other land transportation at 68 deaths. Then poisoning at 54 deaths. Then came firearms at 37 deaths. Yet many in the mainstream media actively support the Obama administration in their push for gun control. Especially a ban on assault weapons. Even if (as they say so often) it saves only one child. But guns aren’t the leading cause of death for children. In fact, as horrific as scenes like the Newtown shooting are they are very rare occurrences. Far more children die in automobile accidents each year. No doubt because we are driving smaller cars to save the planet (lighter cars means greater gas mileage and less pollution). But the journalists don’t report this fact. Because they endorse the leftist agenda of saving the planet. And more gun control. Even if saving the planet means the death of more children from driving in smaller and less safe cars. While more gun control probably won’t save a single child.

The Obama administration’s foreign policy record has been a poor one. The greatest threat to peace and stability in the Mideast and North Africa is Iran. Yet the Obama administration did not support the Green Revolution protesting the 2009 Iranian election results that most felt were unfair. There are few bigger enemies of the United States. The Iranian supported insurgency killed or wounded a lot of U.S. military in Iraq. Our strongest allies in the region (Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia) all feared growing Iranian influence in the region. But given an opportunity to support an uprising that could overthrow a great enemy to peace and stability the Obama administration did nothing. But when the Arab Spring swept through Egypt the president abandoned one of America’s most stalwart allies and the anchor to stability in the region. Hosni Mubarak. Now the Iranian influence in Egypt is stronger than ever. When the Arab Spring spread to Libya the Obama administration supported that movement, too. Despite Colonel Muammar Gaddafi having denounced terrorism and supported the Americans in the war against al Qaeda. When the Arab Spring spread to Syria the president did not support that protest. Despite Syria being Iran’s strongest ally in the region. A sponsor of terrorism. And a nation with a chemical arsenal likely manufactured by Iraq (those weapons of mass destruction that Saddam Hussein had used on his people but had disappeared when the Americans arrived on the scene, likely having skedaddled across the border into Syria). As bad as the ruling regime was in Syria we did nothing to help Syrians overthrow their oppressor.

Now civil war engulfs Syria. Elements of al Qaeda have joined the opposition. Making sure Iran wins however things turn out there. And the Iranian influence is stronger than ever in Libya. When al Qaeda killed the American diplomat in Benghazi the Obama administration made up a story about a YouTube video causing spontaneous protests that led to the ambassador’s death along with three other Americans. To downplay a resurgent al Qaeda during the 2012 election campaign. As they had refused to beef up security in Benghazi as the ambassador requested. Because it would look bad in the 2012 election. Yet the mainstream media did not question these very poor decisions the Obama administration made for political reasons. Instead accepting their position that there was nothing newsworthy in Benghazi. Which they wholeheartedly reported. Refusing to even ask questions. Such as why did they refuse the ambassador’s request for more security? Who edited the talking points for Ambassador Rice used for the Sunday morning shows? Or why is al Qaeda now stronger in the Middle East, North Africa and West Africa after 4 years of the Obama administration that they were during 8 years of the Bush administration? No. They showed no journalistic curiosity. Or integrity. Simply accepting the administration’s statements as fact. While the Middle East and Africa become more dangerous places.

The Mainstream Media is no longer a Free Press for the People but a Propaganda Arm of the Obama Administration

Obamacare is the most sweeping change to the American economy since LBJ’s Great Society. Which was the most sweeping change since FDR’s New Deal. The American Left has always wanted a national health care system. Just like what they have in the United Kingdom. The Left likes to point to their National Health Service (NHS) as the right way to do health care. As does the mainstream media. Yet if you read the British papers their NHS is not all the American Left says it is. Britain’s aging population has caused health care spending to explode. The UK is in the midst of massive budget cuts to bring down health care spending. While the NHS has long tried to deal with chronic problems of long wait times. Rationing. A shortage of doctors and nurses. Even ambulances. Their emergency rooms are overflowing with people with non-emergencies as the NHS closed their neighborhood clinics to reduce costs. And the quality of care has been falling in their hospitals. The problems in the NHS are no secret. All you have to do is pick up a British paper and read about them. For they are ongoing. Yet the mainstream media never reported these problems during the Obamacare debate. Or what passed for a debate. No. They never asked how Obamacare was going to avoid all the problems they were having in the NHS. Which they should have. As the US has an aging population, too. Worse, they have about five times the population the UK has. Guaranteeing any problems they have will be five times worse in the US. Serious questions a good journalist should have asked. But no. They didn’t. Because they support the liberal agenda more than they believe in journalistic integrity. So they only report what helps the administration. While avoiding anything that is critical of them. Or their agenda.

When it comes to economics the mainstream media are all supporters of Keynesian economics. Despite their record of failure. When Nixon decoupled the dollar from gold in 1971 it allowed the government to go all in with Keynesian economics. And they did. Printing so much money that it led to excessive inflation, high unemployment and economic stagnation. Ronald Reagan reversed those Keynesian policies. His administration stopped printing money. And got the government out of the private sector economy. Cutting regulations. As well as tax rates. And economic activity exploded. There was so much economic activity that tax revenue nearly doubled. Even at those lower tax rates. But the mainstream media doesn’t report this. Instead, they revise history. Always supporting Keynesian economic policies as they allow government to expand. So they can implement their leftist agenda. Which is anti-business. Pushing higher regulations. And higher taxes. And whenever anyone talks about Reaganomics they say those cuts in tax rates only increased the deficit. When the historical record clearly shows tax receipts increased. Which they could easily look up (see Table 2.1—RECEIPTS BY SOURCE: 1934–2017). But they don’t. Or chose not to. Preferring to support the liberal agenda. Instead of having journalistic integrity.

The mainstream media today is no longer a free press for the people. They are an extension of the Democrat Party. At least the liberal wing of the Democrat Party. More of a propaganda arm of the Obama administration. That is more interested in changing the country than keeping our politicians honest. Or reporting the facts. They are fiercely partisan. Or they are just not very smart. Either woefully ignorant of the material they report on. Or so in the bag for the Obama administration that they will report falsehoods as truth. The kind of thing that isn’t a big deal in a totalitarian regime. But a pretty big deal in a free country with a government that continues to try to exceed its constitutional authority. For a free press is the vanguard of a free country. Keeping the politicians honest so they can’t exceed their constitutional authority. And if the journalists aren’t going to do their job by the time we find out what our politicians are doing it will be too late. As we now have Obamacare as law. Which passed on partisan lines. With enough moderates and independents voting for Obamacare as few in America knew of all the problems the British were having with their national health care. Today it’s Obamacare. Tomorrow it may be gun control. Or a war in the Middle East thanks to a resurgent al Qaeda. And a growing Iranian influence. Thanks to such a poor job in foreign policy that if the mainstream media had reported it honestly President Obama may not have won reelection. And four Americans may not have died in Benghazi.

Week in Review

Before the Arab Spring there was the Green Revolution in Iran in 2009. Where thousands used social media to gather in protests over what they claimed were voting irregularities that kept President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power. President Obama did not support the Green Revolution. Despite Iran being a sponsor of terrorism, an enemy of the United States and the greatest threat to regional stability. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suppressed the uprisings. And jailed some of the opposition. Where some have made claims of torture and rape. But as closed a society Iran is these claims have been unsubstantiated. Though we have the word of the ruling regime that crushed the rebellion that there was no torture or rape.

When the Arab Spring kicked off in Tunisia in 2010 President Obama announced a change in policy. The U.S. would support change in the Arab world instead of stability. When the Arab Spring spread to Egypt in 2011 President Obama told Hosni Mubarak that he had to step down from power. Despite being a stalwart U.S. ally. An enemy to al Qaeda. And being the anchor of stability in the Middle East and North Africa. Now the Muslim Brotherhood is in power there. Who has close ties with Iran.

When the Arab Spring spread to Libya President Obama supported the opposition based in Benghazi. Despite Colonel Muammar Gaddafi renouncing terrorism. And being an ally of America in their War on Terror. Like Mubarak he oppressed radical Islamists including al Qaeda. Which explains why al Qaeda was part of the opposition trying to overthrow Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. They hated him. And his oppression of anti-western radical Islamists. President Obama supported the opposition. Gave them weapons. And helped enforce a no-fly zone. In 2012 Islamists attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Killing 4 Americans. Including the Libyan ambassador. Chris Stevens. Perhaps killed with weapons we brought into Libya.

When the Arab Spring spread to Syria President Obama did not support the opposition. Despite Syria being a sponsor of terrorism. And a close ally of Iran. As Syria broke down into civil war al Qaeda joined the opposition. Making any U.S. support now even more complicated. However Syria turns out it will be a foreign policy failure. In fact the foreign policy of President Obama has been to abandon U.S. allies that bring stability to the region. While not getting involved in uprisings in states hostile to the U.S. Bringing great instability to the Middle East and Northern Africa. And beyond (see Police: 7 foreigners kidnapped in north Nigeria by SHEHU SAULAWA and JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press, posted 2/17/2013 on Yahoo! News).

Gunmen attacked a camp for a construction company in rural northern Nigeria, killing a guard and kidnapping seven foreign workers from Britain, Greece, Italy Lebanon and the Philippines, authorities said Sunday, in the biggest kidnapping yet in a region under attack by Islamic extremists…

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the abductions, though Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north has been under attack by the radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram in the last year and a half. The country’s weak central government has been unable to stop the group’s bloody guerrilla campaign of shootings and bombings. The sect is blamed for killing at least 792 people in 2012 alone, according to an AP count.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is sacrilege” in the Hausa language of Nigeria’s north, has demanded the release of all its captive members and called for strict Shariah law to be implemented across the entire country. The sect has killed both Christians and Muslims in their attacks, as well as soldiers and security forces…

Foreigners, long abducted by militant groups and criminal gangs for ransom in Nigeria’s oil-rich southern delta, have become increasingly targeted in Nigeria’s north as the violence has grown. However, abductions of foreigners in the north have seen hostages regularly killed…

Foreign embassies in Nigeria have issued travel warnings regarding northern Nigeria for months. Worries about abductions have increased in recent weeks with the French military intervention in Mali, as its troops and Malian soldiers try to root out Islamic fighters who took over that nation’s north in the months following a military coup. Last week, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, put out a warning following the killings of polio workers in the northern city of Kano and the killing of the North Korean doctors.

President Obama campaigned in 2012 that al Qaeda was on the ropes. While blaming the death of Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans on a spontaneous uprising because of a YouTube video. Which if it was it means the average Libyan on the street in Benghazi walks around carrying heavy weapons. Which is highly unlikely. Then again, the opposition the U.S. supported in Benghazi included al Qaeda. So maybe they did walk around the streets of Benghazi with heavy weapons. Just waiting for dates with symbolic meaning (9/11) to attack Americans.

President Obama got what he wanted. Change instead of stability. For there is little stability in the Middle East or North Africa. And now in West Africa. Where Islamists and al Qaeda affiliates are reaching into Algeria. Mali. And Nigeria. Radical Islamists are spreading their reach throughout the Middle East and Africa and in other parts of the world. Fueled by the decline of U.S. influence. And a rise in Iranian influence. The winner in the Arab Spring? It would appear that it is the radical Islamists that are benefitting most from the Arab Spring. While the people in these countries go from a somewhat western culture of liberty (especially for women) towards oppressive theocracies. Just as the Iranian people did during the Iranian Revolution in 1979. No doubt the Iranian women who protested the Shah of Iran rue the day they ever joined that protest movement. For they have none of the liberties they enjoyed under the Shah.

Guess this is what happens when you abandon your friends and help your enemies. Your friends suffer while your enemies grow stronger. And the world grows a more dangerous place.

Week in Review

Hillary Clinton got indignant during her Benghazi testimony. She shouted, “What different does it make?!?” when asked about one of the greatest foreign policy failures in U.S. history. Why did the Obama administration mislead the American people just before a presidential election? “What different does it make?!?”

Well, it makes a whole lot of difference. Especially if politics were the driving factor for security considerations in Benghazi. And with “al Qaeda is on the ropes” being a main campaign theme it would appear that politics were the driving factor for security considerations in Benghazi. For a president claiming victory in the War on Terror could not have a resurgent al Qaeda in Libya. Especially when al Qaeda was using the very weapons the Obama administration gave to the opposition to topple Muammar Gaddafi from power. An opposition no one really knew then. But we did know it had an al Qaeda element. Who hated Muammar Gaddafi. For he became a U.S. ally in the War on Terror following the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

So this is ‘what difference it makes’. Political considerations led to a resurgent al Qaeda in Northern and Western Africa. Greatly destabilizing the region. Making the world a less safe place. And to hide that fact until after the election the Obama administration seized onto that YouTube video that no one saw in Libya. To cover up their foreign policy mess. Benghazi is such a mess that everyone is now evacuating the city and leaving it to al Qaeda (see ‘Leave immediately’: Britons told to get out of Benghazi after threat from al-Qa’ida by Daniel Howden and Kim Sengupta posted 1/25/2013 on The Independent).

The Government has urged British nationals to leave Libya’s second city, Benghazi, in response to a “specific threat to Westerners” from terror groups operating in North Africa.

Defence sources confirmed the warning is linked to the activities of al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim). An offshoot of Aqim was responsible for last week’s hostage crisis at the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria in which 37 Westerners were killed, along with 29 Islamists…

Dutch and German citizens have also been advised to join the exodus, while Egypt has restricted movement across its border with Libya due to security concerns.

Intelligence reports from Egypt as well as intercepted communications from Burkina Faso and Algeria led to the warning being issued. Western interests, rather than explicitly British ones, were said to be the terrorists’ intended target. Governments across North and West Africa have been on heightened alert following last week’s hostage crisis in the Sahara…

The city is the business hub of eastern Libya and was the birthplace of the uprising that toppled Colonel Gaddafi. However, since the dictator’s death it has also been used as a base by several jihadist groups including Ansar al-Sharia, which is seen as the new face of al-Qa’ida in the wake of the Arab Spring. It is believed that individuals from Ansar al-Sharia remain in the city while the group has withdrawn…

Violence in Benghazi has targeted foreigners as well as Libyan officials in recent months, with assassinations, bombings and other attacks. As well as the 11 September assault on the US consulate, an Italian diplomat’s car was fired on by militants earlier this month. Rome has suspended consular activities in the city and evacuated staff.

Britain’s ambassador to Libya, Sir Dominic Asquith, narrowly escaped injury last June when his convoy in Benghazi was hit by rocket-propelled grenades, reinforcing concerns that the city’s police and government militia may have been infiltrated.

This week Sir Kim Darroch, David Cameron’s national security adviser, held talks in Tripoli with Libya’s Prime Minister, Ali Zidan, in which security was top of the agenda. French citizens, including doctors working at Benghazi hospitals, have left the city and the French cultural centre has been closed over concerns of retaliatory attacks following France’s military intervention in Mali. A few Britons and a handful of German and Dutch citizens remain in Benghazi, many of them acting as security contractors or aid workers.

The anti-Western attacks started before al Qaeda killed the US ambassador in Benghazi. So there was no question that al Qaeda was resurgent. And four Americans paid the ultimate price when politics trumped security needs.

So what difference does it make? It was the policies and politics that resulted in those four American deaths. And the resurgence of al Qaeda in the region. Because President Obama declared ‘mission accomplished’ during the presidential campaign. Saying it was reason to give him four more years. So if his ‘successful’ policies were reason enough to reelect the president then surely if those same policies were the cause of everything that went wrong in Benghazi they were reason enough NOT to reelect him. And they knew it. Hence the YouTube video.

The president didn’t win reelection by a large margin. Had the truth about Benghazi been known chances are he would have lost reelection. And this is why it makes a difference. For it matters when a president chooses politics over American lives.

Week in Review

Two years ago, during the Arab Spring, President Obama told President Hosni Mubarak he had to go. The Egyptian people wanted democracy. And Mubarak was in the way. So the Mubarak government fell. Even though he was an ally of the United States. Which was rather odd for an American president to ask an American ally to step down from power. Especially when the people standing in the wings to take over that power are enemies of the United States. But President Obama did. And he took credit for this. Proud for his part in the Arab Spring. And how did all of that work out? Like most people thought it would (see Tear gas fired by police in Egypt posted 1/26/2013 on Sky News).

Police in the Egyptian city of Alexandria have fired tear gas at protesters, witnesses say, as nationwide rallies mark the second anniversary of the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak…

Tens of thousands took to the streets across the country to protest against Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, who is accused of failing to work for the goals of the revolution that ousted Mubarak and consolidating power in the hands of his powerful Muslim Brotherhood.

That’s right, Egypt went from being a U.S. ally to aligning with Hamas and Iran. Enemies of the United States. And enemies of Israel. Greatly destabilizing the Mideast. For what? Even the Egyptian people are unhappy with the outcome. At least the ones who want Democracy. The Islamists, though, are quite happy with the Muslim Brotherhood in power. And hope to see them take Egypt down the same road Iran took in 1979. Where the Islamists rose up in power. Rounded up the democratic protestors. And turned the country into a theocracy. Something that may happen in Egypt. Thanks to an American president that told Hosni Mubarak he had to go.

Week in Review

Hosni Mubarak kept the Muslim Brotherhood out of power when he ruled Egypt. Suppressing Iranian influence in Egypt. He even jailed Mohamed Morsi. A leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood. When the Arab Spring came along President Obama stated that long-time US ally Mubarak had to go. Even though the only organized opposition was the brotherhood. With their Iranian ties. And their ties to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. That terrorist group and branch of the Muslim Brotherhood that likes to fire missiles into Israel. Threatening regional stability.

So abandoning Mubarak was risky business. For the likely power to fill the resulting power void in Egypt would not be friendly to Israel, the US or regional stability. But the naysayers, and President Obama, brushed those concerns aside. For this wasn’t their fathers’ Muslim Brotherhood. This was a peace-loving brotherhood. Who wanted only democracy. Just like those Iranians who seized power in Iran after the 1979 Revolution. And installed a radical Islamic theocracy. But that wasn’t going to happen in Egypt. No, the Arab Spring was making the Middle East and North Africa safe for democracy. At least according to President Obama. Of course, those on the ground in Egypt would beg to differ (see Egypt’s President Morsi faces judicial revolt over decree by Tom Perry, Reuters, posted 11/24/2012 on The Vancouver Sun).

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi faced a rebellion from judges who accused him on Saturday of expanding his powers at their expense, deepening a crisis that has triggered violence in the street and exposed the country’s deep divisions.

The Judges’ Club, a body representing judges across Egypt, called for a strike during a meeting interrupted with chants demanding the “downfall of the regime” – the rallying cry in the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak last year.

Morsi’s political opponents and supporters, representing the divide between newly empowered Islamists and their critics, called for rival demonstrations on Tuesday over a decree that has triggered concern in the West.

Issued late on Thursday, it marks an effort by Morsi to consolidate his influence after he successfully sidelined Mubarak-era generals in August. The decree defends from judicial review decisions taken by Morsi until a new parliament is elected in a vote expected early next year.

It also shields the Islamist-dominated assembly writing Egypt’s new constitution from a raft of legal challenges that have threatened the body with dissolution, and offers the same protection to the Islamist-controlled upper house of parliament.

Guess it’s their fathers’ Muslim Brotherhood after all. Boy, what a mistake it was throwing Hosni Mubarak under the bus. We should have worked with other Arab states friendly with Egypt who oppose the Iranian threat in the region to find a better solution than giving Egypt to Iran. For people may have complained about the restrictions of their freedoms under Mubarak but they haven’t seen anything yet. Just ask the Iranians who lived through the 1979 Revolution now living under a radical Islamic theocracy.

Week in Review

George W. Bush was criticized severely for nation building and trying to spread democracy. Those who criticized Bush praise President Obama for bringing democracy to Egypt. Of course, it’s not quite the same democracy Bush was trying to spread in Iraq. He wanted a democracy that wouldn’t vote in a theocracy like they did in Iran. Some 30 years on Iran still does not have a democracy because of that oppressive theocracy they voted in. Now Egypt appears to be heading down the Iranian road (see Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood says new constitution must be based on Islamic Shariah law by Associated Press posted 10/31/2012 on The Washington Post).

Egypt’s powerful Muslim Brotherhood says Islamic Shariah law must be the basis of Egypt’s new constitution, and legislation must be based on Islamic penal code.

The Brotherhood said in a statement Wednesday that a country ruled by Shariah would not become a theocracy. President Mohammed Morsi comes from the Brotherhood.

This is not good for the US. It will be good for Iran. But is sure won’t be good for the US. Or Egyptian women. Just ask the Iranian women.

Given the choice between oppression under Hosni Mubarak or oppression under a theocracy I think most democracy-loving people would choose the Mubarak oppression. For few will argue that life for women in Mubarak Egypt was far better than it was/is in theocratic Iran.

Democracy fails when the wrong people rise to power and vote it away. Which is what happened in Iran. And looks like it may happen in Egypt. And with the al Qaeda-trouble in Benghazi it may be well underway there. Ultimately it may turn out that the Arab Spring was not good for democracy. It just threw out the dictators who oppressed those who wanted to make their countries even more oppressive. And the biggest losers in all of this? The women in the Middle East. Who yearn for the freedom and values they enjoy in the West. Like they enjoyed under the 8 years of George W. Bush, the 4 your years under George H.W. Bush and the 8 years under Ronald Reagan. Something these women would gladly trade for every chance they got.

You want to talk about a war on women? I give you the Arab Spring. And the march towards Iranian theocracy. Something the policies of the Obama administration have helped along with their foreign policy decisions in Egypt and Libya. And their snubs to Israel. The country with by far the greatest women’s rights in the Middle East. A country that already had a woman, Golda Meir, serve as the leader of their country. Perhaps if the women of the Middle East were demanding birth control and access to abortion (women’s rights American style) the Obama administration would not advance policy that is so detrimental to women there. Such as helping to make the way clear for a theocracy in Egypt. But as these women want things that are not vagina-centered (freedom of speech, escape from second-class status, the right not to be beaten or murdered for not behaving, to be able to go to school, get a job, etc.) this war on women is not heard here by the Obama administration. And these women will probably soon have the same fate the Iranian women had. Another country where a poor foreign policy decision (not to support the Green Revolution) has condemned women to further oppression there. While making the world a less safe place. As the Iranians are moving closer to having a nuclear weapon.